Mind meld
performs a mind meld on Dr. Simon Van Gelder ]]The Vulcan mind meld is a psionic technique for synaptic pattern displacement normally employed only by Vulcans. It is a deeply personal thing, part of the private life, and not normally used on aliens. Melding is not telepathy; those in a meld share consciousness in a kind of gestalt.(DS9:The Passenger) Physical contact is required. The initiator places the tips of his fingers at key locations on the head of the other participant. This allows him to place pressure on key nerves and blood vessels to facilitate the link. The fact that most Vulcans who perform the meld touch the other participant in different manners, reciting varying formulas, implies that it's only ritual behaviour, helping to concentrate on the task, leaving mere physical contact being the ultimate prequisite to initiate the meld. If successful, the link results in a merging of both minds, essentially creating a single consciousness in two bodies. It is noteworthy that the meld can also be used by its initiator to probe another person's mind, while the melder him/herself shields his/her mind from being read by the other participant, resulting in a rather one-sided psionic contact. ("Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country") Only the subject in physical contact with the initiator participates in the meld; others in the vicinity are not affected. Melding carries some risk. It can be physically debilitating for both parties. The pressure changes can potentially aggravate existing conditions. The melding results in some loss of identity, and can be difficult to break, especially when the subject's mind is powerful or dynamic. Aftereffects can be treated with the drug lexorin. At the conclusion of the meld, each mind retains some knowledge of the other. It is possible to force a mind meld on an unwilling subject, but most Vulcans are loath to do so, unless under the most dire circumstances. An exception may be the Vulcans of the Mirror Universe, whose ethical constraints, shaped by the savagery of their environment, are doubtless far different. During the 22nd century, mind melding was believed to be an ability only a minority of Vulcans are born to. Due to the apparent intimacy of melding, Vulcans during this era considered the practice defiant to the ancestral teachings of their society. As a result, other Vulcans considered those who were natural ‘melders’ outcasts. An improperly trained melder who initiates a mind meld can transmit a Vulcan disease known as Pa'nar Syndrome. If left untreated, the disease is fatal. Vulcan medicine of the mid-22nd century believed that there was no cure; however, the disease was known in Surak's time, as was its cure: a corrective meld performed by an experienced melder. It is likely that the ignorance of this cure was due to the widespread prejudice against melders, a prejudice that was not shared by the Syrrannite group. (ENT:"Fusion","Stigma", "Kir'Shara") Notable Usages In 2151, the v'tosh ka'tur Tolaris initiated a mind-meld with Subcommander T'Pol. Since Tolaris had not been properly trained in the use of his mental abilities, this meld caused T'Pol to contract Pa'nar Syndrome. (ENT: "Fusion", "Stigma"). In 2154, Vulcan Ambassador Soval, defying the taboo of his day, melded with a comatose security guard to learn who bombed Earth's embassy on Vulcan. For this offence, Administrator V'Las relieved Soval of his post. (ENT: "The Forge) Shortly afterwards, T'Pol's Pa'nar Syndrome was cured by the Syrrannite T'Pau. (ENT: "Kir'Shara") In November of 2154, T'Pol initiated her first mind meld on the starship Enterprise. In an attempt to ultimately discover the location of Doctor Phlox, T'Pol melded with Ensign Hoshi Sato. (ENT: "Affliction") In 2266, on stardate 2715, Spock melded with Simon Van Gelder, then suffering from generalized synaptic damage, to learn whether Van Gelder's allegations about Tristan Adams were true, or delusions. Spock warned Van Gelder that the pressure changes could be dangerous. (TOS: "Dagger of the Mind") In 2267, on stardate 3192, Spock used what might have been a variation on a mind meld to convince a guard on Eminiar VII to open the door to the room where the landing party was imprisoned, facilitating their escape. (TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon") In that same year, Spock melded with the Nomad MK-15c space probe to learn its origin.(TOS: "The Changeling") On stardate 3196, Spock amazingly not only melded with a silicon-based lifeform, the mother Horta, but managed to do so without even touching it at first. (TOS: "The Devil in the Dark") Also in 2267, McCoy became the victim of an unwilling mind meld, when the mirror universe Spock forced information from him about the nature of the transporter accident that brought four USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) officers to the mirror universe. (TOS: "Mirror, Mirror") In 2268, Spock melded with Kirk, who was suffering from retrograde amnesia, consequential to the misuse of a Preserver artifact. Although Spock had some difficulty emerging from this meld, he was able to successfully restore Kirk's memory. (TOS: "The Paradise Syndrome") Later in 2268, Spock was driven mad by the sight of Ambassador Kollos. Miranda Jones, a human telepath trained on Vulcan, used a meld to restore his sanity, by making him forget what he'd seen. (TOS: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?") On Stardate 4385.3, Spock melded with Kirk, McCoy and Scott to ensure they believed the bullets fired at them from Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday (at the O.K. Corral) were unreal and, therefore, unable to harm them. (TOS: "Spectre of the Gun") Further in 2268, Spock utilized a mind meld to verify the claim that Kirk's consciousness was trapped in the body of Janice Lester. (TOS: "Turnabout Intruder") In 2273, when the Enterprise was in the v'ger cloud, Commander Spock entered the 3D data storage facility via jetpack and attempted to access the data through a mind meld. ("Star Trek: The Motion Picture") After time travelling to 1986, Spock mind melded with the humpback whales George and Gracie to inform them of the crew's plan to bring the whales back with them to the year 2286 to answer a mysterious probe that threatened Earth. ("Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home") In 2293, Spock used a mind meld to force from Lieutenant Valeris information about the Khitomer Conspiracy. ("Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country") In 2366 Sarek entered into a mind meld with Captain Jean-Luc Picard in order to assuage his nascent Bendii Syndrome, at the behest of Dr Beverly Crusher. (TNG: "Sarek") In 2370, Sakonna, a Vulcan member of the Maquis, attempted a mind meld on Gul Dukat in an attempt to learn the location of illegal Cardassian weapons in the Demilitarized Zone. (DS9: "The Maquis, Part II") In 2371, Tuvok melded with crewmate Lieutenant Tom Paris after Paris was accused of the murder of Banean scientist Doctor Tolen Ren. The meld would later allow him to prove that Lt. Paris had been framed in an elaborate plot to provide the Banean's enemies, the Numiri with criticial information. (VOY: "Ex Post Facto") In 2372, Tuvok melded with the sociopathic Betazoid Lon Suder in an attempt to gain a better understanding of Suder's violent impulses. While the meld would provide Suder with a measure of emotional control, it would temporarily release Tuvok's more violent and primal urges. (VOY: "Meld") In 2374, Tuvok melded with an alien named Guill in an investigation to prove B'Elanna Torres' innocence. Guill was in a society that violent thoughts are illegal. Guill was a collector and trader of such thoughts. Tuvok locked in with the meld under the guise that images would be shown but he also grabbed and chocked Guill in the meld to get him to submit. (VOY: "Random Thoughts") In 2375, Tuvok melded with Seven of Nine and, indirectly, with a Borg Vinculum to free Seven of Nine from multiple personality disorder induced by the Vinculum. (VOY: "Infinite Regress") In 2376, Tuvok performed an extended technique of the mind meld, the "Bridging of Minds", on Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine, forming a bond between the two individuals, who were otherwise unable to telepathically link. (VOY: "Unimatrix Zero, Part I") In 2379 the Reman Viceroy enabled Praetor Shinzon to telepathically "rape" counselor Deanna Troi. This suggests that, although Romulans may be incapable of psionic abilities, Remans are. ("Star Trek: Nemesis") de:Gedankenverschmelzung